Local vs International Degree
The first impression an international degree presents us with is the added value they possess with a higher quality of education. How effective the degrees are depend on the relative cost of education, the jobs that you come across and other qualitative costs. From a Malaysian point of view, studying abroad would be more costly, but its worthiness remains a question.
It can be strenuous to demonstrate a numerical example because of the qualitative benefits and costs, few pointers can be made to ease your decision.
Companies in some countries prefer local universities as they believe their education is superior and suited to their company culture. Say for example, international degrees may not be as recognized in Singapore except for the top Universities like Harvard and Cambridge of course.
Your desired work location also plays an important role to deciding which University to attend. Take University of Queensland and National University of Singapore(NUS) as an example. NUS has an edge over the UQ in Singapore but UQ definitely has an edge over NUS in Australia. In other countries, they might stand to be similar standards. Ultimately, it’s the accreditation that is crucial because some professional jobs like engineering requires it to be eligible to sign off paperwork.
If you deem international degree as a higher value for yourself but cost of living abroad is high, there is always twinning programmes where your final year is done in the main campus overseas. University of Monash is an example of well established university that offers this.
Degree X or Y
Each of us has to choose our career paths. Some may pick out the degree they are fond of, some settle down to 2nd choice degrees due to failure of meeting requirements and sometimes, strict parents have designated degrees they want their children to follow.
We believe that pursuing the career to your liking will always lead to best outcome possible. Evidently, this is not entirely true, not financially at least. Obviously, some profession yields a higher income than the others. How your degree guarantees your future financially is the stability and growth of the profession. It is governed by Economics 101: Supply and Demand factor. Some may argue the financial advantage comes in a hefty price such as family relations problems and stress, which indirectly disintegrate your future. Thus, finding the right balance between financial stability and social life would be the most ideal situation.
Importance of Internships
Job hunting is increasingly competitive and stiff as society places a high value on education. These days, many graduates are able to achieve first class honours and a high CGPA. The question is how do we stand out? One basic and expected requirement to have before a full-time job is an internship.
That’s the ticket to get yourself shortlisted. Efficient internship highlights your daily routine as a full-time employee and it can be an eye-opener for some people. This internship experience can be fully utilized during interviews as it shows genuine understanding of workplace interaction.
Beyond The Degree
Beyond the brick and mortar that your qualification produces, companies are also exploring traits beyond the academic realm. They way you talk, walk and present yourself all plays a role.
How you integrate creative ideas into actual processes or even just your attitude towards work.
Some may argue that these traits takes precedence over just a qualification you posses.
Conclusion
The takeaway point for this article is to widen your aspects as a person. Besides putting all your eggs in your studying basket there are other aspects you should invest your time in. We hope this helps. If you do plan to study locally, you might want to find out about PTPTN and how it can help finance your studies
